Stop Five – Marianna Day Two – Relax – Off to Lafayette – Stop 6

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Our second day in Marianna was a day to relax.  We slept in, when for a nice walk around the campground and did a couple loads of laundry.  While the clothes were drying, we stopped in at the Up the Creek Cafe for lunch.  As you enter the campground, there is a small strip mall, of sorts, with a convenience store, a couple of gas pumps and the restaurant.  I was surprised when Mag suggested we go have lunch figuring it wouldn’t have much on the menu that would meet our current dietary regime.  The staff was very pleasant, the food was okay.  They serve breakfast all day so I had a 3-egg omelet with coffee and Mag had a sweet potato, two sides of coleslaw with a pot of tea.

We headed back to pick up our clothes and back to trailer.  We need to pick up some sundry items at Walmart, a few groceries at Winn Dixie then off to St. Anne’s for 5:00 PM Mass.  We always enjoy visiting different churches when we travel; I think we’re more curious.   At the close of Mass the priest asks from the altar, “Any birthdays or visitors?”  I was certain he said “visitors” but Mag corrected me that had said “anniversaries,” but before she took that opportunity, I raised my hand and announced, “We’re visiting from Massachusetts.”  Quite a few heads turned to look and I thought, “Isn’t that nice.”  In any event, folks were quite nice and a few mentioned Boston, or Springfield Armory, Holy Cross College and friends they know.  It was good for a laugh. 

Back at the trailer we reviewed our route for Sunday to Lafayette, LA.  We selected two spots to stop for a break and a third to get fuel.  Because the truck and trailer are long and high, a normal gas station, in most all cases, won’t work for us.  We have to find a “truck stop” so we will have enough room to maneuver the truck/trailer up to the pump.  There are many along the routes we have traveled; Loves, TA, Sheetz, Pilot, Murphys and more.  I think our fav would be Loves, they are consistent, large and clean. 

January 1, 2023

We knew it would be a long drive so we set a goal to be on the road by 7:00 for our trip to Lafayette.  Breaking down and hitching up went well, except for my fall.  We have a cooler tucked up in the bed of the truck and I had to retrieve something.  Our tailgate has a step that pops out by the press of a button and makes climbing into the truck much easier.  It’s a F350 so it sits a little higher than most so the step helps me a great deal.  As I returned with the item, I stepped down, hit the step and it was like I was on ice.  My right foot came out from under me and the rest was a blur.  I recall landing on my right side, pretty hard, took a moment to take and inventory, then got up.  A woman across the way called out, “Are you okay?”  I assured her I was fine, surprisingly, and got back to work.  Except for a sore shoulder and slightly stiff neck, I’m fine, thank the Lord, that could have been ugly. 

We pulled out at 7:10, pretty close to our goal.  The fog was thick but we managed 50 to 60 mph to nearly Mobile where the sun began to lift the fog.  It was smooth sailing across route 10 to Slidell where we take route 12 above Lake Pontchartrain; route 10 dips down to New Orleans which would have made the trip longer and passes through N.O.L.A. which we didn’t mind avoiding.  Route 10 & 12 meet up again near Baton Rouge and we’re back on 10 for the remainder.

We arrived at a little after 3 and got set up, went for a long walk around the campground.   We ate a quick dinner; warmed a pizza we made a couple of nights ago with a generous salad.  It seems like we spend a lot of time shopping for sundry items and groceries and tonight was no exception.  Of to a neat grocery store called  Super 1 Foods.  We also had to top off the fuel tank and a warning had appeared on the dash that we only had 500 miles of DEF remaining.  DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) is a requirement for most all diesel vehicles to lessen the impact of the exhaust.  The fluid is mixed with the exhaust and somehow lessens the impact of the pollutants created by the combustion engine.  Very few gas stations have a separate hose to fill the DEF tank, the filler tube is locate right next to fuel cap, at least on the Ford.  Most truck stops have a separate hose for DEF but I haven’t used one, as yet.  Normally I buy a two gallon container and pour it into the tank.  Due to the amount of driving we are doing, we’re having to add the DEF more frequently and buying a 2 gallon jug is getting old.  I will try to fill it tomorrow at a truck stop to see how it goes.  The truck begins to warn the driver that the fluid is down to approximately 500 miles.  If continues the warning at specific intervals until, eventually the truck will shut down so, I almost always have a jug in the truck.

Tomorrow our trip to Freeport, TX will be less than 300 miles and the same the following day to San Antonio.  We won’t have to get up early and rush to get on the road, we can take a more leisurely pace.  We are both getting anxious to get settled in San Antonio and spend time exploring.  Mag corresponded with a person she worked with in the past who resides in the San Antonio area and he has sent has sent her more than a handful of texts with places and restaurant to visit while we’re there.